, 1887-11-03
A Delicate Operation.

A very delicate operation was sue
cessfuliy performed by DR.. Morgan
at tho hospital yesterday. About
eighteen months ago man named
O'Donnell, living on Peone Prairie,
had q tooth extracted bya local
dentist, who In the operation sue
ceeded In breaking the jaw OF his
patient'ir two places. Nothing was
done Cor the injury till several
weeks later, when 1t was In such
condition that the doctors could
render no aid. Ever since the poor
fellow has suffered terribly, rs the
periOstium decayed as fast as
for med. He could eat only soft
food, and in addition an offensive
Odor began TO proceed from the in:
jured part, which became 30 bad
remain in the room with him. Last
March DR.. Morgan wished to per-
form an operation, but O'DonnelPs
courage gave way and he could not
nerve himself up to bear the ordeal.
A reporter had been informed that
the operation was to take place yes
terday afternoon, so was on hand at
the appointed hour. The patient
was already stretched upon the table
i'm the surgical room, and Mr., Kelly,
the steward Of the hospital, was
holding over his face towel mois-
tened with chlOrOform. The man
was not yet under the influence of
theldrug. and calmly gave directions
as to the disposition of his property
IL he should fail to survive the Oper-
alton. Close by stood the doctor,
watching his patient and Occasionly
feeling his pulse to see the effect OF
the chlOrOfOrm. His coat was off and
his sleeves rolled up, md close at
hand lay his case OF instruments.
Gradually the drug had it's effect,
and the victim ceased talking and
began to breath heavily; then the
doctor began operations, and first OF
all thread was passed through the
tongue of the unconscious sleeper.
Then an incision about an inch long
was made Just below the chin. At
this point the patient seemed to
rouse up little and groaned and
spit up blood. Through the incisien
the doctor introduced his knife and
saw, and In few minutes drew out
a portion Of the jaw about four inches
i'm length. Then with his fosceps he
extracted the fractured splinters of
bone. Meanwhile the flow of blood
almost choked the victim, and Ii it
had not been for the string passed
through his tongue, by which X
could be draw forward, he would
have strangled to death. AS ii was,
he blew out quantities of blood,
which flew into the faces of the doc
tor and attendants. They were used
to it, and minded it no more than If
1t had been water. The chloroform
saturated towel was held over
the face of the sufferer all
the time, yet now and then
pain seemed to overcome the effects
of the dug, and he moaned and
struggled violently. Very little was
said, except occasionally the doctor
remarked that everything was going
nicely. The sound of the saw rasp-
ing on the bone was horribly sugges'
tive and not at all pleasant to hear.
Finally the last fragment Of bone
ton Of sewing up the incision began.
brought the edges of the wound
nicely together, and everything was
over. 1t was completely successful,
and very skillfully performed. The
doctor predicts that the man will be
greatly relieved, and the removal Of
the bone will not cause him any very
serious Inconvenience. O'Donnell
was in company Of dragons dur
ing the war, and received n severe
wound in the leg, but has never re-
ceived pension, though greatly In
need OF one. He has no family, and
has been working farm on Peone
prairie which he has leased. DR..
Morgan has good reason to feel elat-
ed over such u successful perform
ann9 of a very liffinIlt nnarafinn